Scott Monty - Keynote Speaker, Timeless Wisdom

Uber seems to be in a perennial communications death spiral. But this isn't about Uber alone.

They've gotten in plenty of hot water in the media for a variety of reasons (the details of which we won't go into here - but that we chronicle weekly in The Full Monty). And we've previously ranted on what it might take for investors and customers to give up the habit. Each week, there seems to be host of negative stories. If I were running communications at Uber, the data I'd be tracking would undoubtedly show the volume of negatively-slanted news coverage.

But as Kara Swisher has reported on Recode, defenders of Uber are saying, "It's just a PR problem," seemingly thinking that if there were no journalists reporting on the bad behavior that it simply wouldn't be an issue for Uber any more.

This issue goes well beyond Uber and even beyond the tech industry. The notion that press coverage is the root of problems in companies is a misnomer.

It's not a PR problem; it's a business problem.

And until you've rooted around and addressed the fundamental issues in your business — whether it's culture, HR policies, supply chain disruption, human rights violations, or anything else — you're still going to have problems with the press if they've latched onto you.

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Welcome

Scott Monty is a neoclassical digital executive. As a keynote speaker, advisor and recovering Fortune 10 executive, he gives talks to companies and industry organizations about the need to relentlessly focus on the customer. He uses his knowledge of historic literature, philosophy and poetry, together with his ability to trend-spot to show audiences that the key to our future is in understanding timeless wisdom about human nature.